The 15th December 2002 marked the continuation of one of the Aussie ATB scene's most well known events: The Big Vic Session! Last years event saw about a decent turn out put on a display of big air and high speed for all to see. 2002's BVS was bigger, harder and faster than the last with about 15 riders and numerous spectators gather in the shade and riding the hill. With Canning St Reserve providing an extremely hard, dry and fast track and the temperature soaring towards the high 30's the riding was going to be tough - especially the hikes back up to the top of the hill. The set up for the day included 4 ramps - two wedge ramps and two kickers (Thanks to John, Hugh and Ryan) and provided plenty of big air and style for the cameras.

The BVS02 also saw the evolution of a Victorian favourite, the Canning St Classic. For those of you who are unaware of what the Canning St Classic is, it's an all or nothing, every man for themselves Mass Chinese Downhill race. This year saw Jester Productions provide prizes for the winners and with big stakes on the line, the competition was fierce! There were 3 races held throughout the day - the early race being a practice run and the other 2 being the real deal. Waffles was flying through the practice run only to stack terribly metres before the finish line to see John Morton on the 3 Wheeler set out as the early favourite. The standard of the racing was really amazing, everyone really had a crack at it and picked up some huge speed.

The Canning Street Classic

Race 1, the Jester Production's "Canning St Classic" was terrific. An early crash between John Morton and Trev led to Waffles falling to the back of the field as Sam Adams, Josh West and Adam Zemunic headed the pack coming towards the first marker. A bit of local knowledge saw Waffles take a decent line to whizz past the field as they headed over the rise but he was unable to catch one Sam Adams who rode an amazing race. Here are the results of the big race:

JP King of the Hill: Sam Adams                         

Runner Up: Andrew Egan

3rd Place: John Morton

"The winners each received a T-shirt provided by Jester Production's"

Race 2 "The Enduro Challenge"

Race 2 came out of the blue as many of the competitors felt the need, the need for speed. So the crew trudged back up the hill for one more, high speed showdown. (Waffles was a late scratching due to cramps lol). The second race saw a more evenly spaced race, with Goshen the early leader. Coming through the trees Adam Zemunic and Sam Adams burst out of the pack to really challenge the front runner. The pace proved just a little too much for Adam who couldn't get much more out of his race and settles for a tight and respectable 3rd. Sam Adams again took out the race, just pipping Goshen at the post in the closest finish of the day. There was only a meter between 1st and 3rd. Here are the final results:

1st: Sam Adams

2nd: Goshen Watts

3rd: Adam Zemunic

"Hot Air Rising"

The weather at Canning St was somewhat unforgiving - over 15 litres of beverage from the barrel was consumed 8 bags of ice were dispensed of and half a tub of sunscreen used. The day was really a battle between the mind, body, terrain and the weather. To everyone's credit they were smart about it and chilled out in the shade when not riding and still managed to go hard when the time was right.

They say Hot Air rises but it wasn't the only thing rising on the Canning St Hill at the BVS - the ramps all saw plenty of action, especially from one Ryan Slater who was pulling some nice 3's and grabs. John Morton went hard all day, coming off pretty hard a few times but still catching some nice air. Nick and Trev went off as always and young Hugh has shown a big improvement in the air department over the past 8 months (what's your secret dude?) Adam Zemunic pulled a few nice airs to represent Munro and all frame boarders worldwide with pride. Westy pulled a few choice jumps to recover from an early fall. Waffles on the other Hand should be barred from doing any jumps at all. All in all it was a great day and a good time was had by all.

I would like to thank all the crew for showing up and making the day such a good one, its blokes (and ladies) like you that will continue to see things like the BVS and our sport keep growing and becoming more prominent in the community. Thanks to everyone that brought ramps / boards down and to everyone who chipped in for the BBQ, especially Mrs. Egan and Michael Egan (my brother) for transporting all the stuff down and setting up. Without people like that, day like the BVS wouldn't be possible. Also a big thanks to Adam and John for helping us pack up and bringing down some gear to purchase.

[for more images of the day click here]